First Born Son

by laura-maeve

William Black is the first born son of Alpha, Jacob Black. As next in line for the throne, it's up to him to prove himself worthy of the title of Alpha Male. Little does he know, Will has an enemy, one who's out for revenge. With this enemy in his territory, he takes it upon himself to cut down the threat. The question is can he get over his teenage hormones long enough to succeed?

9. Chapter 9

Phew! Oh my goodness, it's good to be updating on this one again. This is an intense chapter and A LOT of stuff happens. Will certainly grows up. But I can assure you that it's a very emotional chapter. Happy and sad at the same time. I think a lot of you will both hate and love Hunter after this one. I know I've been gone from both this story and the other for a while. Before I updated The Choosing again, I wanted to update this one. There was just a lot going on here and I wanted to get it right. I hope I did.

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy!

---

A couple weeks later…Late September

HunterPOV

A month. I'd had a boyfriend for a whole month. And honestly, it was the best feeling to know that I had someone to turn to, to talk to. Even if it wasn't the whole truth. On the other hand, Melice wasn't happy with me. He'd been calling me at least five times a day only for me to reject it every time. This assignment shouldn't have taken this long. I was just dragging it out, basking in how warm and good this felt being with Will. However, my affection for him wasn't enough to keep me here, to abandon my cause. Eventually, I'd have to do what I came here to do. But one thing was certain. I wouldn't be able to go back to being Melice's bitch. I'd have to make a run for it. Just one month with Will and I was a different person.

The arm around my shoulders tightened, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I smiled up at Will.

He was frowning worriedly. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just thinking about my term paper," I lied. Lying to him was becoming harder and harder. All I wanted to do was fall at his feet and confess everything. I always had to remind myself that his affection and acceptance wasn't important. He was only supposed to be a tool. Even if he was my true mate, my plans had to stay the same.

He gave me a quirked eyebrow. "It's Friday night. You can think about it on Sunday." Pulling me against him hard, making me laugh, he said, "Tonight you're all mine."

Pulling me across his lap, he cradled me in his arms. We were watching a movie at my house. The fire crackled in the fireplace beside us, keeping me warmer than usual since I was cuddled up to Will. Even though I was a Child, my body heat was nothing compared to his. In his arms, he proceeded to try to tickle me. He had yet to find my spots. They were unusually placed. While he poked and prodded, I just stared at him with raised eyebrows.

Groaning in exasperation, he rested his arm across my hips and set his head heavily on the back of the couch. "Really? How can you not be ticklish?"

I held my hands up. "Never said I wasn't. You assume."

He frowned, brows pulling low over those toffee eyes. "But I've hit all the normal spots." And then those eyebrows rose. "I guess that means I'll have to get creative."

The twinkle in his eyes had me nervous. "No. That's not what that means. That means you should give up."

Now the twinkle became a kind of determination that I was getting used to…and rather fond of. Gripping my hips, he was perilously close to one of them. Most girls were ticklish around their waists. Mine was my lower hips, right at the bone and little in the middle, right above southern territory. Over the past couple weeks, he and I had had some pretty steamy make-out sessions right along with some light petting. Close to touching, but not quite. But today, his fingers absently brushed along my skin above the low rise of my jean shorts. Unfortunately, he was getting confident that I wouldn't push him away, so he dipped those fingers below the jean line. I couldn't help the involuntary jump when he hit the spot.

His look of surprise was laced with amusement. "Ah ha," he said smugly, continuing to rub his fingers just above my panty line.

Again, unfortunately, the spot was both a ticklish one and a hot spot, so I ended up laughing and moaning at the same time.

"Hot spot, too, huh?" he asked with a chuckle pressing lips to my neck just behind my ear, his face buried in my hair.

"No," I said through trying to breathe.

"Liar."

"Jerk."

Still laughing, he pulled me up to his lips and stilled his fingers. "Okay, okay. I'll stop. But at least I found it."

Sitting back, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "The good thing about you knowing only about that one is that you can't do it in public." I grinned with satisfaction.

Leaning forward, he pressed his ridiculously delicious lips to mine and spoke against them. "Then I'll just have to get you alone more often."

Pulling back a little, I gave him a scandalous look. "William Black, I thought you were innocent."

He snorted. "I don't know who told you that, but they were lying out their ass."

I laughed.

And then he got serious, taking my hand in his and playing with my fingers. It always scared me when he got like this. The words that came out of this man's mouth always hit something inside me, tightening my gut and making me feel. Emotions other than anger were a weakness. "Hunter, you know I've never been with another girl. In any way, shape, or form. I want to be with you, do…more with you. I just don't want you to think that I'm like all those…guys you had in the past. I don't want you to think that that's all I want from you."

Playing my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, I asked the question that I'd been hesitant about asking. "So what do you want from me?"

And of course, his answer was perfect. "Whatever you're willing to give me. And whatever you want of me, just ask. It's yours."

"Wow," I said a little breathlessly. "Jules was right; you guys do move fast."

"I didn't mean it to sound like that. What I mean is, however long you're here I will go at whatever pace you need. I'm comfortable. It's you who's not used to all the affection and the community. I understand that, Hunter. Really, I do. For some reason, you haven't had much kindness thrown at you. Don't think that I don't remember how you first reacted to Parker just wanting to sit in your lap at my birthday. I do remember that. Just that small thing affected you too much. I'm telling you that if you stay here, you stay with me, I will make sure that you will never want for any sort of compassion the entire time you're with me. I'll give you everything."

Not able to meet his eyes, I gripped his wrist. "Even forgiveness?"

Even through the frown I could feel in his expression, he said, "Of course."

And this was what scared me, how much I wanted what he was offering me. Peace. He was offering me an easy life. A life where I didn't have to hide. All I had to do was tell him what I was and why I was here. He'd end up talking me out of my vengeance because that's how much he affected me; and then he'd forgive me. We'd go on about our lives. Get mated, have a couple of kids. Or go our separate ways. And I could be free to express who I was, who I wanted to be. I could be the person I hid from everyone.

But no. This wasn't an option for me. I had to leave. If I stayed with Will, Mel would wage war on the pack. Even though his father had told him to lay low and back me up when/if I needed it, he would ignore the order. Lie to his father to get more wolves here. Even if I hadn't been affected by Will and his family, I couldn't let that happen. This place was full of innocent people. No matter my agenda when first arriving here, hurting innocents wasn't on it. But Mel being who he was wouldn't care. He'd rip little Parker's heart out, grinning as he stared at her pain-filled eyes, her blood coating his hands. Just the mental image put a pit in my stomach. That little girl had come to mean so much to me. The thought of him hurting her made me want to rip him apart on principle. My attraction to Mel was ebbing away, even the thought of the rough, wild sex he could offer. It wasn't worth the lives of innocent people. But once I put my plan into action, I could never stop looking over my shoulder. The alpha male wouldn't take kindly to being rejected by a female. After I got what I came for, I'd have to lure him away from here so he wouldn't take his anger out on the community. Or Will. He'd be hunting me until the day one or the other of us died.

"Hunter?"

"Yes?"

"What do I need to forgive you for?"

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, all I wanted to do was cry. "Nothing I can explain to you right now. So please, please don't push." I was panicking that I'd said too much.

Will pulled me to his chest, burying my face in the hollow of his throat. He stroked my hair. "Shh, it's okay. I won't. We all have things we regret."

The scent of him calmed me. God, what was happening to me? I was so close to blabbing. But there was something about this boy that made me feel whole and warm.

What the hell was I going to do?

WillPOV

After I kissed Hunter goodnight and made sure she locked the door behind me, I frowned all the way to my car. Since my birthday weekend, she'd changed a little. More and more, I'd catch her zoning out, staring at nothing. Something was definitely up with her. And I needed to talk to Dad. I'd avoided asking him about why Hunter bothered him. Honestly, I didn't want another reason to open my eyes to the fact that something was amiss. There was a nagging in the back of my mind that it couldn't be coincidence that Chad died the same day he'd assaulted Hunter. The imprint part of me wanted to exonerate her, but the alpha part demanded justice on behalf of the pack and my people. No matter what, Hunter was an outsider, and protecting the rez was why the wolves existed.

Unfortunately, even as an outsider, her being my imprint was causing problems. The more time I spent with her, the less I cared if she was doing anything against the rez, the pack, or both. It bothered me that it didn't bother me. Which was why I needed to talk to Dad. If I was going to take care of this like I'd told Brayden, Jules, and the others I would, then I had to man up and deal with the problem, even if that problem somehow involved my mate. So, sighing in defeat, I hopped up into the Jeep and went home. When I pulled up, I saw my sister and Brayden sitting on the dock on the lake. Catching Bray's eye, I lifted my wrist and pointed at my watch. Scowling at the reminder, he shook his head. Eyebrows raised, I made sure he understood that his time was running out and that I was counting. When Jules raised her eyebrows questioningly, I just smiled easily at her. She narrowed her eyes. Bray was gonna get interrogated now. Grinning, I whistled all the way up the porch steps.

As I strolled inside, Mom and Dad were sitting on the couch watching the twins play video games.

"Hey, sweetie," Mom said with a warm smile. "How's Hunter?"

"She's great. Dad, can I borrow you for a sec?"

He frowned and then shrugged. Before getting up from the couch, he kissed Mom's temple. I had to look away, aware of the fact that I might have to give up having my imprint. Hunter was important to me. Of course she was. But I was needed here. So if she were to be banished, I'd have two choices. Go with her or stay here. As of right now, my highest loyalty was to my family, my pack. However, that would change if we didn't get this figured out soon and I became too attached to Hunter. If we slept together, I was a goner. That much I knew.

"What's up, son?" Dad asked when he was standing next to me.

With a jerk of my head, I motioned for the stairs. He followed me into my room where I collapsed on the bed. He took a chair from my wall, turned it around, and straddled it, resting his forearms on the back of it.

"What bothers you about Hunter?" I asked, diving in.

His eyebrows shot to his hairline. "What?"

I met his gaze with mine. "Bray said that you told him there was something about her that bothered you. I need to know what it is."

He sighed. "Will, our wolves, especially the males, become defensive and seriously aggressive when it comes to talking about their imprints like that."

"Dad, I'm not that attached to her yet. But I need to know these things. It's hard enough staying objective about her with just the little bit I know. But if I had other people's opinions, I'd be able to pull away a little more, be more objective about it."

After a long pause, he took in a deep breath and raised his hands. "Alright, fine. I believe there's a connection to her and whatever killed that kid."

Leaning forward, I put my elbows on my knees, breathing through the tightness in my chest. As he'd just said, a need to defend her was quickly building up inside me, but it was something I'd suspected myself. So I tried to keep the emotion in check. "And what makes you think that?"

Those dark eyes studied me while he said, "She doesn't have a scent. Not one I can detect."

And just like that, I remembered what had bothered me the first night she'd slept in my tent. With my nose buried in her hair, I'd caught the scent of her shampoo…but not her. In a rush, the breath left me, feeling like I'd just gotten punched in the gut. "And whatever killed Chad didn't leave a scent behind either."

With a sympathetic expression, he shook his head. "Whatever it was left nothing behind. And honestly, I was doubting how much of a coincidence it was that he'd harassed her that day and then ended up dead that night. Will, son, it just doesn't sit right with me."

Staring stupidly at the carpet, I shook my head. "No, no. You're right. It doesn't make sense."

Reaching out, he put a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Will, if she's not human and she killed Chad…" He trailed off.

But his point was clear. If she wasn't human and had somehow masked her scent, and then she'd killed Chad, she could be facing, at best, banishment. At worst? A hunting party ready to tear her apart.

He squeezed my shoulder. "You need to find out what you can about her. You've only been with her a short time. I get it. But a kid is dead. I shouldn't have waited to tell you this. I'm sorry I did. Will, get her alone and question her. She trusts you more than anyone else here. Get her to talk."

"How?"

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Son, sometimes we have to be…tough with our females. As men, we're raised and taught to always care for a woman, but as alphas of the pack, there are times where we need to be firm with them. There were several times that I had to be that way with your mother. It's hard. Trust me, I know. But sometimes, it has to be done."

I took another deep breath, letting it expand my shoulders and chest. "Okay. I'll figure something out."

"Soon, Will."

I nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I get it. Can I ask you for something?"

"Of course. Anything."

I met his gaze. "Teach me to scent a lie."

JulesPOV

An hour after Will came back, I headed into the house having gotten nowhere with Bray on the look they'd shared. Ash, Maddox, and I said our goodnights to Mom and Dad before heading upstairs. Since Bray wouldn't give up the bro code, I decided to ask Will. Usually I could read him better than anyone else. Before I could even knock on the door, he called me in.

"What's up?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, picking at a loose thread on the blanket around my shoulders. "Just wondering what that little look was earlier."

Looking up from the book in his hands, he narrowed his gaze. "Well if he didn't tell you, I'm not going to."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I lifted my chin. "How do you know he didn't?"

He snorted, eyes going back to his book. "Please. I'd definitely know if he told you. I'd never hear the end of it."

Growling, I went to sit on the foot of his bed. "Fine. Be secretive. Since you won't talk about it, let me ask you something." He met my gaze with his. "Have you told Hunter yet?"

And of course he knew what I meant. Sighing, he put the book aside and shook his head. "No. I can't. I'm already in too deep with her. Dad told me why he thinks something's up with her."

When it didn't seem like he'd continue, I prompted, "Well, what is it?"

Heaving himself up, he swung his legs over to sit beside me. "No scent."

I just stared at him. "Excuse me?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I can smell her shampoo and perfume, but nothing of her."

My jaw dropped incredulously. "Nothing? At all?"

"Nope." He popped the word. "Just like whatever killed Chad. They left no scent or anything else behind."

"So they're connected somehow."

Will scrubbed his face with his hands. "Yeah, probably. Dad's going to teach me how to sniff out lies tomorrow. I've got to get her to talk to me."

"Well, while you're working on that, I promised her that we'd go into Port Angeles."

He looked surprised. "Really? What for?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What, I can't have a girls' day with your girlfriend?"

"Not without being suspicious."

I nudged him with my elbow. "Hey, I'm better than Piper is with her."

We grinned at each other.

Will reached up to move my hair out of my face. "Yeah you are. And thanks for that. I know this is hard for everyone involved, especially when they know what she is to me."

I squeezed his hand. "Will, this will work out. You have to believe it does. I do. I mean, aside from everything going on, I like her. I just wish we knew what there is to know about her. If everybody would just lay everything out, we'd all be able to figure this out. It's all so complicated now."

He breathed so deep his shoulders moved with it. "Tell me about it."

---

The next day, Hunter met me up at the house. She and Will spent a good few minutes necking in his room before Dad called him down to quit sucking face. The twins snickered on the couch as they made the walk of shame down the steps. Hunter was blushing, but Will kept his head held high with his arm wrapped around her hips.

I rolled my eyes and pulled Hunter away from him. "Honestly, Will. She can't spend all her time with you." While he gave me a sneer, I turned to Hunter. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Will you drive again?" she asked as I steered her toward the door.

"Sure. I think we need to get you a GPS, hon." Over my shoulder, I looked at Will. "Hint. Hint," I said very deliberately.

Flustered, Hunter quickly said, "No, no. Don't-,"

"Done," Will said.

Grinning at Hunter, I said, "Blacks always win, hon. No use in fighting."

"Be careful," Mom called as we walked out the door.

"We will, Mom." Before closing the door, I gave Will direct eye contact. He nodded as I closed the door on them.

I drove Hunter's Jeep all the way to Port Angeles but told her that she'd be driving back so that she could get used to it. She had wanted to shop for some new bookshelves and other furniture for her house. In the confined space of the car, I'd tried to be a scent finder, but my sense of smell just wasn't up to par with Will's now that he'd phased.

The night before, I hadn't lied to my brother. I really did like Hunter. She was smart and funny now that she'd become more comfortable being around us, around me. I tried to be as indifferent as I could while being around her, trying to see her as just a normal person. When we got to talking about boys over lunch, it was really easy.

"So, I know that I don't know Will all that well yet. But is he always that perfect?" she asked.

I snorted water through my nose. She laughed as I crushed my napkin to my face. "Will?" I asked incredulously once I was able to talk. "Perfect? My mother is the only one in the family who thinks he's perfect."

She laughed. "I think you know what I mean."

Still giggling a little, I nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. He's got this thing where he takes care of everybody except himself. That's where the twins and I come in. We watch his back because we're pretty sure he's too busy worrying about other people to do it himself."

"He is pretty selfless. So talk to me about Brayden."

I froze in my chewing to look up at her. After swallowing so hard it hurt, I said, "What about him?"

She raised her eyebrows. "He's pretty cute." Thankfully she didn't seem to notice my small snarl. "And I've noticed that he likes to look at you when you're not looking at him."

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. "Yeah, he's cute. Always has been."

"Like those green eyes. Having a color other than brown seems rare among the tribe."

Her talking about him like that was getting under my skin. I didn't like that she noticed him. "Yeah, it is pretty rare. It's from his mom, my Aunt Shelby."

Hunter scrutinized my face. "Your eyes are pretty rare, too. Only you have that color."

"Why are you asking?"

She shrugged. "Just curious."

"Story goes they're the same color of my grandmother's."

"Story goes?"

I nodded and sipped my water. "My dad's mom. She died when he was a kid. I never met her."

Hunter's expression puzzled me. It was one of sadness and sympathy. "I never knew my mother let alone my grandparents." Clearing her throat, she waved her hand. "Nevermind that. Let's get back to boys. Why aren't you with Brayden? You make a very sensibly cute couple."

I choked out a laugh. "Well, I suppose if I were to label it, it would be 'it's complicated'."

She wrinkled her nose. "Oh, I hate that one."

"Right?" I twirled the straw in my glass. I sighed. "I don't know."

"Do you like him?"

I grinned. "Like him? Hunter, I grew up with him. If I didn't like him, I wouldn't hang out with him."

"Alright. Let me amend that. Do you love him?"

Well that wiped the smile from my face. The answer that immediately assaulted both my head and heart was a blazing yes. And it was an affirmative in the same way that Hunter had meant her question. A romantic love. Not just friendship.

And apparently my expression spoke for me. Hunter nodded. "I see."

Nervous that she could read me that easily, I hurriedly said, "Please don't say anything. Bray and I are sort of at a stalemate right now."

Hunter brushed it away. "Don't worry. I don't know him well enough to say anything. And I seriously doubt I need to say anything to your brother. Will more than likely already knows. Girl talk shall remain girl talk."

I smiled. "Thanks."

From there, the small talk and shopping ran smoothly. Now that we both knew the parameters about Brayden, we casually talked about our boys. She also asked about the twins, and how they were so different from one another. Ash, so quiet and watchful, rarely played the "baby of the bunch" card. He was younger than Dox by about five minutes. Dox, however, hammed it up whenever he could saying that he'd take Ash's discarded limelight whenever possible. It usually worked, too.

It wasn't until we were parked outside her house, taking her purchases inside when things got scary.

On my way back from getting her mail, I didn't see the menacing figures until I was about to enter the clearing where the house was situated. There were two flanking each side of the woods, and they were watching me with dark, hungry eyes. I stared back, swallowing hard, trying to remember my training from my uncles. Sizing them up, I was pretty sure I could dart between them. They were big and bulky whereas I was small and quick thanks to my vampire genes.

As my body went still, readying to run, I felt a presence behind me. With no time to react, two huge arms wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my side. Dropping the mail into the mud, I screamed, clawing at his forearms with my nails. Struggling and twisting, I got nowhere against the wall of a man.

One hand moved up to clap over my mouth, slamming my lip against my teeth. The taste of copper coated my tongue as a sharp pain shot through my mouth, making my eyes water. "Shut up, bitch," the man growled in my ear.

Hunter rushed out of the house, brought out by my screams. To my shock, she slowed, studying them. "Who are you? What do you want?" she asked in a surprisingly calm tone.

What the hell? Where was her panic?

One of the men, easily the biggest, moved forward. "I think you know the answer to both…Hunter." The man had a clear, thick accent.

Ignoring him, she said, "Let her go, asshole. She's nothing to you."

The hand that wasn't over my mouth moved over my torso, spanning just under my breasts to the low rise of my jeans, which had fallen lower with my stretched out body. His fingers roughly scraped over my skin, the calluses like sandpaper. I cringed under the touch, under the insinuation of his actions while he pulled my shirt up.

Hunter stepped forward, her lips peeling from her teeth. The gesture made me pause. It was very wolf-like. "I said, let her go!" she snapped. "Whatever you want from me, you won't get unless you let her go."

I could practically feel the man's eyes studying her, judging her words. After a long moment, his arms slid away from my body, hands and fingers lingering on my belly and hips. As soon as I was free, I ran for Hunter and the Jeep, tears finally threatening to fall. Locking us in the house was the worst idea. The men were large enough to bust down the doors and knock out the windows, leaving us trapped inside. I was not gonna be raped by touchy-feely over there. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Once I was close enough, Hunter hissed, "Get in the car."

"What?" I asked incredulously as she stepped into the yard, closer to the men. That had been my idea before she'd started toward them.

She turned and spoke through her teeth. "Get in the car and start it." The she looked back at the men, walking toward them. "This is private property, gentlemen. None of you have permission to be here. And I don't know any of you or why you think you should be here."

She's going to get herself killed, I thought as I jumped into the Jeep. There was also a feeling that she was playing stupid. She knew them. Stowing the thought away, I put the vehicle into gear and spun around. The headlights caught a fight. One of the guys was on the ground, hands cupping his crotch. Hunter was laying into another one, her hand closed into a fist. The third came out of nowhere and clocked her in the temple. My jaw dropped when she didn't go down. Instead, she spun and kicked out, connecting with his chest. Hunter's attention was back on the one still standing before the kickee even hit the ground. Okay, so she definitely knew how to fight. The guy who'd just landed was already getting to his feet. I hit the gas, steering straight for him. He lunged out of the way as I screeched to a stop next to Hunter and flung open the passenger door. She flung out one last punch before hopping in. She locked the doors as I spun the tires trying to speed off. After a moment, the tires caught and we shot off toward the road. I sped all the way home, neither of us talking to each other.

Instead, Hunter called Will, outlining what had happened. She spoke in low tones, occasionally casting worried glances at me. I could dimly hear my brother's loud voice through the speakers. He was demanding to talk to me, but Hunter kept telling him no.

When I finally screeched into the driveway, I realized I was in shock. My hands were shaking and I was cold down to my bones. Something had been rattling, and it took me a moment to realize that it was my teeth. Blood still coated my tongue.

Will and Dad busted out of the house, Mom and the twins not far behind. Brayden, no doubt having been told by Will that I'd been in an incident, ran from his own house. Dad wrenched open my door just before Brayden reached me. He yanked me out of the car, pulling me to his chest while Will went to Hunter, but I could see him glancing at me as he hugged her to his chest. Both men went to inspecting us.

Dad's arms crushed me to him as if he'd never let me go again.

I patted his chest. "Dad, I-I can't breathe."

Pulling back, Dad gently ran his thumb over my lip. His eyes were furious but his touch gentle. "Are you okay?" He shook his head. "Scratch that. Stupid question."

Close to grinning at his paternal-ness, I stopped, the cut in my lip pulling. I gripped his wrist. "I'm okay, Dad. Just a little rattled. I don't even know what happened to be honest."

Mom came over, shooing Dad out of the way, to hug me tightly before pulling back to cup my face, inspecting the damage. In all honesty, Hunter looked worse. Her lip was actually busted, split on the outside. Her temple was a mess of black and blue. Will was protective hostility, nostrils flaring, eyes in a rage. But again, his touch was also gentle on her face. Such was a wolf with his imprint.

Brayden was standing, twitchy, on the other side of my parents, eyes riveted to me. Worry poured out of him. I studied him, his stance and attitude eerily similar to my brother's. Ash and Dox were nearby.

"What did happen?" Mom asked as she went to inspect Hunter.

The other girl looked as if she didn't know what to do with the maternal concern my mother showed her. She looked nervous as Mom tested the bruises and cuts.

Reluctantly, Will let our mother do her thing. He came over to me, hugging me tight and petting my hair. I heard him breathe in the scent of my hair. "Are you really okay?" he whispered.

"I don't know," I said just as softly into his chest.

"…and then Jules almost ran over one of them with my car. I hopped in and we came straight here. I called Will on the way."

"You fought them?" Dad asked incredulously. "Where'd you learn to fight?"

Hunter shrugged. "I picked up a few things here and there."

Dad shook his head. "Never mind that. Whether or not you know how to fight, you should have run to the car with Jules. It was a stupid move, Hunter."

Hunter didn't meet his eyes. "I didn't want them to hurt Jules. I thought distracting them long enough would give her time to better get away."

She met my eyes. They were begging me not to say anything. She knew that I knew she'd shown a side of herself today that she had wanted to keep hidden. I nodded minutely as Will let go of me to go back to her.

"Nevertheless," Dad continued, "don't do it again, alright?"

Again, she seemed surprised by the parental attention. She nodded in jerky movements. "Okay."

As soon as Will went back to her, Brayden moved in before anybody else could. I was going back into shock, zoning out. Brayden's soft touch on my shoulder pulled me back down to solid ground.

Involuntarily, my lip trembled, the tears threatening again. The look in his green eyes was so tender that it broke my heart. But I could also see the viciousness brewing there. He was just better at hiding it than Will. Whoever those guys were, they'd messed with the wrong females. No doubt, once me and Hunter were holed up for the night, Will and Brayden would be tearing up the land, searching for whoever did this.

Brayden slightly held his arms out and I was helpless not to fall into them against his chest. Now, with him, I broke down. I'd figured it would have been with my dad or one of my brothers, but nope. The sprinkler-fest was bestowed upon Bray. Clutching at him, I cried. Not loudly, but insistently. His arms were a strong cage around me, radiating warmth and safety. He put his cheek on top of my head and rocked me.

A small hand on my back came just before soft words. "What happened?"

Piper had joined us, but she kept her voice low.

"I'll tell you later. Let's get her inside."

Dad called out to the boys. "Will, Brayden, I want you to team up with Henry. We'll spread out."

"No!" Hunter and I both yelled at the same time.

She was clutching Will's shirt with the same ferocity I was grabbing at Bray's. She seemed to have dropped her brave mask, the events taking their time to sink in. It was nice to know she could be rattled…unless it was an act.

Mom put a hand on Dad's arm. "Jacob, I think the others will be fine."

"I'll go," Uncle Seth said, coming out of the woods with Aunt Shelby, who nodded beside him. She cast a glance over at me wrapped around her son.

Dad nodded and turned to Hunter. "Can you give them an accurate description?"

She nodded against Will's chest. "I-I think so."

"You'll stay here tonight, Hunter," Dad told her in his no-argument tone.

She tried to argue anyway. "Oh, that's not-,"

He gave her his best dad/alpha look. "I wasn't aware I made that a question."

Will gripped her tight in warning. So she shrank against him and nodded sheepishly. "Okay."

He nodded toward the house. "Get them inside, boys."

Piper and Brayden herded me inside. Will huddled around Hunter. The twins brought up the rear, keeping their eyes on the woods. They were silent, scowling guards despite their humanity. We all knew how to fight. Ash, in particular, was the vicious one out of the four of us. Where Dox had the broad build of strength, Ash made up for it in speed and swiftness. Even as humans with vampire genes, they were forces to be reckoned with. Turn them into werewolves and they'd be flat out deadly. No doubt once they phased, they'd name themselves Will's enforcers.

While the boys sat down with me and Hunter, Piper went to grab a first aid kit and then make hot drinks for us. Will took out the supplies needed to clean up Hunter.

"Jules?"

Blinking, I looked back to Bray. He was holding up his finger with some ointment on it.

"Can you show me your lip?"

"Oh." Using both hands, I rolled my bottom lip out. He winced at the same time his eyes darkened with anger as he gently dabbed the numbing gel around the wound. I flinched and a low growl rumbled up from his chest.

"I'm going to kill the bastard that did this," he hissed under his breath.

When he pulled away, I wiped my fingers on my jeans before touching his wrist. "Hunter's worse off than I am. I'll be okay. All I need is a little blood and it'll heal." Standing up, I went to Hunter, kneeling down beside her chair. "Thank you."

She smiled before wincing while Will dabbed at the blood on her temple. "You're my only friend besides Will. I had to do something."

Squeezing her hand, I stood up. "I think I'm going to go take a shower and then lay down for a while."

Upstairs, under the hot water, my mind turned over and over. Something was up with Hunter. My gut clenched every time I remembered the way the man had addressed her, and the answering surety in her eyes. She'd known him. And it bothered me something fierce.

But as I stood there, arms braced against the tile, I let the hot water beat on my back and temporarily pushed that out of my mind. Instead, I went to thinking about Brayden. Instantly, my heart contracted just remembering the fierce protectiveness in his eyes, the gentleness of his hands on me. The safety I'd felt in his arms. I'd never felt that with anyone else, not even my dad or my brothers. And I craved it again. I loved Brayden. There was no denying that anymore. The first relief I'd felt after booking it out of Hunter's driveway was the moment I'd seen him running for me from his house. Because somehow, I'd known he was coming straight for me. And if he'd gotten to me before Dad had, I had the feeling that Brayden wouldn't have let me go for anything.

When the water turned cold, I hopped out. Patting my hair down with a towel, I then wrapped it around me, tucking it under my arms. As I opened the door and walked out into the hall, I yelped, gripping the towel to my chest.

"Jesus, Brayden! You scared the crap out of me," I gasped, trying to get my heart to slow down.

He'd been sitting beside the door but was now standing in front of me, looking a bit frantic. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just…I wanted…"

Though I was still panting, I smiled. "What were you gonna do if you heard me having a panic attack? Bust through the door?"

His brows pulled low in a frown as he considered his answers. "I…well…um." Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his neck. "In all honesty, probably even though your dad would have killed me."

Laughing, I patted his arm as I passed him. "I'd have convinced him not to."

"Thanks, I guess."

Walking into my room, I intended to close the door, but I realized he was still following me. "Um, Bray?"

He looked up. "Yeah?"

I looked from him down to my towel-clad body and back again.

It took a moment before understanding dawned. "Oh, right. Sorry." Backing out of the threshold, he closed the door behind him.

Surprisingly, I grinned the entire time I dressed.

Unfortunately, though I was past the shock and my body felt better, sleep settled in when I sat down on my bed. The fluffy blankets called to me, wanting to envelope me and comfort me. My bed and I had a special relationship. Cuddling in, it wasn't long before my eyes started to droop. I was safe now surrounded by my family and Brayden.

---

Later that night, I woke warm and cozy out of a dreamless sleep. No light, weak or otherwise, came through the window. Leaning up, I squinted at the dull numbers on my alarm clock. One in the morning. And my stomach was letting out its hunger call. I'd forgotten to eat and I'd fell asleep on Brayden who'd clearly wanted to talk.

Rolling out of bed, I landed on my feet. After my shower, I'd dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, so I was decent. At one in the morning, you'd figure the house would be quiet but it was far from. Angry and triumphant yells were followed by explosions from the television. They were down there playing video games and Hunter was winning. Shaking my head, I went downstairs.

Walking up behind the couch, I draped myself over Ash's shoulders, my face next to his.

He turned and kissed my cheek. "How're you feeling?"

"Better. Hungry, but better."

"There's some leftover pasta in the fridge." He pulled back a little, eyes lowering to my lip. "It's swollen. There's some blood in there, too."

Hunter's gaze flicked over to us from where she sat between Ash and Will. I ignored it. She knew what we were.

I returned his kiss on the cheek. "Thanks." Straightening up, I went into the kitchen. "So where are the 'rents?"

"Out with the pack," Maddox said, never taking his eyes from the screen. "They went to Hunter's first but couldn't find a scent other than yours and Hunter's. Dad thinks that puts the men at a connection to Chad's murder. Mom talked to Mara. Apparently, it's possible for a powerful witch to work a spell to cover a person's scent."

"Huh," I said, popping the pasta into the microwave before grabbing a bottle of blood.

"Nifty, right?" Dox said.

"Uh, yeah."

Will and I both looked over our shoulders toward each other at the same time. If Hunter didn't have a scent, she could have found someone to cast a spell. If so, why? What could she possibly need to hide from? Unless her studies of werewolves got her into trouble. Will nodded slightly to let me know his mind was on the same path as mine.

"So did Bray and Piper go home?" When the microwave beeped, I took out the pasta and dug in. I'd only heated it up enough to be lukewarm because I was too hungry to wait for it to cool off. But the spices stung my lip, so I took a healthy gulp of blood. Instantly, I could feel the split start to heal. I'd gone too long without the red juice if it worked its magic that fast.

"Piper did. She said out of the two of you only one could look like shit," Dox said. "And you know it wasn't going to be her no matter how much she loves you. Bray is probably outside with Brent and Vice."

Vice was Brent's eldest son. And Brent was Uncle Walker's lead enforcer. My eyebrows went up. "They're involved now?"

Will snorted. "Are you joking? The daughter of the alpha and the next alpha's girlfriend were attacked. That is not something that's going to be taken lightly. Brent was as pissed as Dad was. Apparently, when we were toddlers, right after the twins were born, he'd made a promise to Mom that we'd be kept safe by him and his enforcers. If we were to be hurt, he'd hunt down whoever did it."

"Oh yeah. I remember her saying something about that one time when I asked about Brent when we were in the village. Isn't his younger son, Jason, about to finish his training?"

Ash nodded. "His sisters are about to drive him nuts though. But I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing him on patrols."

"Interesting." Done with the pasta and blood, I cleaned out the empty bottle and scrubbed the plate. When I opened the front door to go see Bray, a cool breeze had me grabbing a jacket from the peg beside the door. "I'll be outside."

"Of course you will," Dox said under his breath.

Will chuckled and kicked him in the back. I rolled my eyes as I went out the door. It didn't take long to find Bray. He was sitting at the top of the wide steps of the porch. He turned as I shut the door.

"Hey. It's late. What are you doing up?"

Wrapping the jacket around me, I sat down and huddled. "Well I did go to sleep early. Sorry for that by the way."

He frowned, leaning his elbows on his knees. "For what?"

"I fell asleep when you wanted to talk. It was rude."

"Nah, don't worry about it. You needed to rest more than I needed to talk to you."

For a moment, we fell into silence. Out in the woods, the leaves rattled, giving a hint that something large was moving out there. A moment later, a wolf I knew was Brent peeked through the shadows. Vice was right beside him. Bray nodded to them in acknowledgement. And then they melted back into the darkness.

Bray turned to me, eyes serious. Reaching over, he took my hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Lips quirking, I squeezed his fingers. "I will be."

He nodded absently. "Yeah, you will," he said in a low voice.

I frowned, but before I could say anything, he said, "Jules, I…I need to tell you something. And I'm sorry that I waited so long."

Studying his expression, unease tightened my gut. I slipped my hand out of his. "Tell me what?"

He shook his head. "I shouldn't have waited this long. But you have to believe my intentions were good."

Somehow, I knew that whatever he was about to say would lead to heartbreak, so I decided to beat him to it. "You imprinted. Didn't you?"

Meeting my eyes solemnly, he nodded. "Yes, I did."

Despite my own mental warning, my heart dropped and it became hard to breathe. I really was in love with him. I knew that because my heart was indeed breaking, shattering. Most of the time, I could keep my emotions hidden, but right now the tears just wouldn't stay. Sniffling, I wiped my eyes and pulled my hands out of his to turn back to staring at the woods. My stomach was falling to my feet. It felt like I should be feeling the jagged edges of my heart trying to push through my skin. Everything was empty and hurting at the same time as I cried, tears falling to the wooden steps. At least I managed to stay quiet.

We were quiet for a long time. He'd gone back to staring out as well. Both of us were rigid, uncomfortable. Now that I knew, we couldn't be as close as we'd once been. There was a barrier between us. I had to give up one of the best friendships I'd ever had.

Eventually, I managed to get a hold of myself. I should be happy for him. He'd found his mate, something we all wanted and searched for in our lives. He'd be happy if I'd imprinted first.

I cleared my throat. "So, do I know her?"

His expression of confusion puzzled me. "What?"

My laugh was bitter and hurt like broken glass. "Your imprint. Do I know her?"

To my utter horror, he chuckled. "Yeah, actually you do. Really well as a matter of fact."

Hurt, I looked over at him. Couldn't he see my pain? How much this hurt me? "Well, it can't be Leila," I said, trying to sound as unaffected as possible. "Henry would kill you."

"Definitely not Leila, though I do love her like a sister."

"So it's Ava. Those are the only two because I know you didn't imprint on your own sister. Those three are my best friends."

He looked over at me with a frown, eyes studying my face. He reached out to brush a curl back but I pushed his hand away.

"Don't, Brayden. You can't touch me like that anymore, not with you being imprinted. There's no way she'd deny you. What girl could?"

"You're denying me."

I gave him a scathing look. "I'm not your imprint."

His stare was very direct. "I never said that."

Shock spun my head back around to stare at him. There was a look on his face that was somewhat smug. "What are you saying?"

"Well, I believe I said that you knew the girl very well. You proceeded to tell me about your friends, leaving yourself out. What? You don't know yourself?"

"You-you imprinted on me?" My body went eerily still, except for the thudding of my heart. Could this really be happening?

Turning to me as much as he could, he took my hands in his. "Yes, Jules. It was you. It's always been you, even before I phased. I've loved you since you were born according to everybody. When we were younger and I knew about the crush, I was crushing on you, too. But I didn't want to say anything. I knew that we would phase and there was a possibility neither of us would imprint on the other. Hurting you like that was not something I wanted to do. I love you, Jules. I never ever want to hurt you."

I swallowed hard. "You love me?" I whispered.

He smiled. "Are you going to repeat everything I say?"

For a moment all I could do is gape. "Probably. I just…this is…say it again. I don't think I believe you."

Laughing, he put my hands to his chest. "Julene Black, I did imprint on you and I do love you. Very much. Always have. And I can promise that I always will."

"Finally!" was yelled from inside the house.

Tears scattering down my cheeks, I laughed a little. "What was that about?" It had sounded like Will.

Bray's fingers played with mine. "He's been on my ass to tell you since he figured it out. He told my reasons for keeping it from you were stupid so he gave me a two week time limit. And after tonight…"

Taking one hand out of his grip, I brushed my fingers over his cheek. "What were your reasons?"

Eyes closed, he leaned into my touch. "You want so much for yourself. To finish high school and go to college. I didn't want to distract you or for you to think that you had to choose between me and leaving if that's what you wanted."

Now, instead of breaking, my heart was melting. "No offense, but he was right. Those are stupid. I'd want you with me."

"That's what Will said."

"Sometimes, big brothers can be right," I said, feeling a very sibling warmth for my brother.

He bit his lip before asking, "So are you mad at me?"

Raising my eyebrows, I worked at a serious expression. It actually wasn't that hard now that I thought through the euphoria to the last few weeks. "Yes, actually. I've been stressing so much, wondering what's going on. We've known each other all our lives. It was breaking my heart to know you were keeping something from me."

Now he became earnest, gripping both my hands again tightly. "I swear to you, I'll never keep anything from you again. It killed me to know that my waiting would hurt you. I just didn't know how…I mean, our families…"

I hadn't meant to make him hysterical. He let me cup his face in my hands. "Shh, don't worry about it. Will knows, and he's okay with it. I was mad…five minutes ago. I'm good. We're good. I promise."

"Really?"

I nodded. Before I could even think about it, I leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth. The touch sizzled even as we both froze. "I love you, too," I whispered.

Turning his head, he brushed his lips over mine. And that was it. It was his turn to cup my face, my hands dropping to his broad chest.

The first kiss was gentle, just a press of lips. But I was too eager to taste him. All those years of crushing on him, and then realizing I loved him…it was too much, and I needed to know. So I opened my mouth to him just when his tongue came out to caress my lips.

He pulled back just enough to say, "Your lip-,"

"Is fine. Kiss me, Bray. I'll go insane if you don't."

I felt his smile against my mouth. "Well in that case…" He groaned, a very masculine sound of pleasure when he crushed his lips back to mine. The moment his tongue touched the inside of my lip, a world of sensation and electricity burst between us. It was intoxicating, a drug that I couldn't get enough of. He tasted of the perfect dark chocolate, a bit bitter but oh so sweet. Fattening yet good for you at the same time.

One of his hands slid to the back of my neck, pulling me toward his deepening kiss. Now that he had permission, he did his own tasting of me, his tongue moving freely against mine.

I went up on my knees, never breaking the kiss so I could wrap my arms around his thick shoulders, pushing my fingers through his silky hair. One hand stayed in my hair while his other moved down to my waist, pulling me toward him.

A throat clearing had us pulling apart, slowly as if we'd both rolled in thick caramel and had to peel ourselves apart. But Bray kept his arm around my hips and rested his head on my shoulder. I languorously petted his hair while we looked over at my parents.

Dad had an eyebrow quirked, jaw clenched. Mom was standing just behind him, trying to hide a grin of excitement.

Dad looked to Bray. All he said was, "Do we need to have a talk?"

Bray shook his head. "No, sir. We literally just got together." Then he frowned, pulled back, and looked up at me. "We are together, right?"

Smiling, I said, "Yes, stupid. We're together."

His grin was as bright as the tropical sun that I could barely remember. Then he looked back at my father. "We just got together. I am not going to turn every milestone in one day. You helped raise me better than that. Plus, she's more than capable of kicking my ass."

Dad narrowed his eyes but nodded. "Good man."

Mom squealed and ran for us. "Oh, I'm so excited!" We both got hugs and kisses. "Welcome to the family!" she said to him. "I mean, not that you weren't before, but still!"

Bray chuckled and hugged her back. "Yeah, I know what you mean, Aunt Ness."

"Don't get too excited, Ness," Dad said, following her up the steps. "They're not married or mated yet." Then he glared at us. "And they'd better not be mating any time soon."

I choked on my own spit. "Dad!"

"Don't 'Dad' me, Jules. I know how it goes. But I'd be a major hypocrite if I told you to wait for marriage."

"Jacob," Mom admonished.

"What? We weren't saints, Ness. And thank God for that. It took us forever to get married."

Brayden choked out a laugh.

Dad leaned over to kiss my forehead. "Don't stay out here too late. You need to rest."

Geez. He and Brayden sounded exactly alike. "I know, Dad. Did you find anything?"

I instantly wished I hadn't asked. His expression turned vicious as he shook his head. "No. Not a goddamn thing."

Bray got to his feet and helped me to mine. "I'm wide awake. I'll go run for a bit. If the guy…" he had to take a deep breath, "if he had her in his arms, there might be traces of her scent."

Dad nodded. "I hate to say this but as her imprinted male, you'd be more in tune with her scent than I would."

I looked to Brayden with a little worry. "You're going go now?"

"Yes, we are," Will answered from the doorway.

Brayden nodded. "I'm glad that I finally got the imprint conversation out of the way, but Jules, this guy hurt you. Until you phase and imprint on me, you really can't understand the viciousness I'm feeling right now. Here, with you, I'm calm, but on the inside, I'm a seething mass of rage. The wolf in me wants his blood to run."

This terrified me and turned me on at the same time. His bright green eyes darkened to emerald with the aforementioned rage. I could see the wolf just under the surface, and it was pissed. It was like a breeze of energy leaving his body, invisible but palpable. It sizzled over my skin, pricking here and there.

I squeezed his hand. "Just don't do something you'll regret."

He shook his head. "I had this same conversation with my dad. When I first phased, I didn't think I'd be able to kill anything other than a vampire. But after I imprinted on you, that all changed. When it comes to your safety, I've become a damn near sociopath. I will level anything and anyone that hurts you…and not lose sleep over it."

My breath caught. "I think that's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."

His look of surprise said that he'd expected me to shy away from him after his admission.

I could practically hear Dad's eyes roll. "If you boys want to get anything done before dawn, you need to head out."

Will moved around Mom and Dad to come stand beside us on the steps. He hugged me. "We'll get the bastard. I swear."

I nodded against his chest. But then I went up on my toes so I could whisper in his ear. "About earlier, about Hunter not knowing those guys-,"

"I know," he said just as softly. "My training with Dad worked. I'll figure something out."

My heart went out to him. He knew his imprint was lying and he had to get her to tell him the truth. She'd had plenty of time to come forward and she hadn't. My brother knew he was going to have to outright question her.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled sadly. "Don't be. I knew this would have to happen before I…well, you know."

Looking up at the door where Hunter was standing, I nodded. "Yeah. Be careful out there, okay?"

He grinned. "Don't worry. I'll get your boyfriend back to you."

I slapped his arm. "I'm mad at you, too, by the way."

A look of false surprise crossed his face. "What? Why?"

"You know why."

The next grin was thoroughly unashamed. Turning, he waved to Hunter and then jumped the stairs. Bray leaned in to kiss me softly before following. "Get some sleep," he called over his shoulder.

I shook my head as Mom draped herself over my shoulders, resting her cheek next to mine. "He's a good man," she said.

I nodded, already proud to be his. "I know. That's why I've always loved him."

WillPOV

Brayden and I walked through the woods, still in human form. It was better to talk that way without anyone eavesdropping.

"So what made you finally tell her?" I asked, hopping over a log.

He jumped after me, landing easily on his toes. "After you called, telling me what happened, I realized just how scared I was that she was really hurt. I also realized that I never wanted her to go through something like that again without her knowing how much I love her."

I looked over at him. He'd said that last with such surety. "Love already, huh?"

He gave me a look in the dark. "What do you want me to do? Deny it? The feeling I had tonight was the kind of fear that comes from loving someone. Didn't you feel that with Hunter?"

And that was the problem because the answer was no, I hadn't felt that. I was more scared for my sister than my girlfriend. I'd chalked it up to the fact that Hunter had sounded calm and in control on the phone. Had I liked seeing her wounded? Hell no. I wanted to kill as much as Brayden did. Another man touching my female was a huge territorial no-no. My fists clenched. When I'd seen the blood on her skin, the violence that had boiled my blood should have scared me. Instead, I wanted nothing more than for me and Brayden to rip them apart, leaving the pieces of their bodies as an example.

"Will?" Bray asked, pulling me out of my fantasies.

I shook my head. "I wish I could say I did. But, Bray, something is off."

"What do you mean?"

"Tonight, when you told Jules about the imprint, I swear Hunter heard you, too. Dox and Ash just looked at me after I'd yelled, wondering what I'd heard. But Hunter was looking at me more like she was wondering what imprinting was."

"You don't think she's human," he said factually.

"I don't know what to think, but I do know that I need to question her. Point blank. No more waiting for her to tell me on her own. It's clear she's not going to." Even to me, my tone was disappointed.

I'd wanted to trust her. In fact, I had with my sister's life. And whatever Hunter was involved in had gotten Jules attacked and injured. That didn't fly with me. When they'd pulled up, my instinct had been to go to Jules first because I knew something was off with Hunter. All this time, I'd been willing to overlook the weirdness between me and Hunter, but now that my sister was involved, the shit was going to end. I was done being nice.

I didn't want to talk anymore so I went behind a tree to strip and phase. Bray followed. Together, we ran the woods searching for any sign of the bastard who had dared touch my sister.

The Next Day…

HunterPOV

I woke up not knowing where I was. The pillows had a different scent from my shampoo, but it was still a scent that I knew. Opening my eyes, the night before washed over me. Weak light managed to seep through Will's curtains to give a soft glow to the room. In the bed, I stretched, feeling like I'd had the best rest in a long time. Sleeping here, in his room, had made me feel a strange sense of safety. And he'd given me permission to snoop. There was really nothing that surprised me.

"Good. You're awake." His voice was low in the doorway. He was leaning his huge frame against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't seem particularly happy, though.

Slowly, I rolled out of the bed, my body wanting to stay and for him to join. The shirt I'd borrowed from his closet hit me mid-thigh and fell off one shoulder. Hoping that I was just imagining his mood, I went to stand in front of him. I went up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. He barely responded. And the response I did get was as if he couldn't resist.

Frowning, I went to slide my jeans on under the shirt. "What's wrong? Did you find anything last night? Have you even been to sleep?"

"We didn't find anything, and no, I haven't been to sleep. But you need to get dressed."

Now I was nervous. Bits of the conversations he'd had last night had concerned me. Jules's suspicion of me was off the charts now. She knew that something was wrong. And apparently, somehow, so did Will. Not to mention that I'd slipped last night, making Will wary of me. He'd noticed my expression after his excitement at Brayden telling Jules about his imprinting, whatever that was. I couldn't ask without telling on myself. But apparently, I was losing the battle with control because my expression had betrayed me.

Knowing nothing would happen with us, I turned my back to him and slid out of the shirt. I heard him take a deep, hissing breath as I wriggled into my bra and then put on my shirt. When I turned around, his eyes went to my breasts. His jaw was bulging as if preventing me from telling me to strip. Those hands were balled into fists under his crossed arms, probably with effort not to touch me.

"Will, what's going on? You're freaking me out."

Right in front of me, his mood shifted. He took a deep breath and came for me, wrapping me up. "I'm sorry. It's just stressful knowing that there're guys out there who went after you and my sister, and we can't find them. I don't like it."

Trying to slow my pulse, I stroked his chest. "I know, baby. I'm sorry. Am I going to be able to go home?"

His arms tightened almost painfully. "I'd prefer you stay here at least one more night. We can go get your things."

It was best not to argue with an aggressive alpha male. If he preferred I stayed, then I'd stay. Even though I knew I needed to go see Melice. The Blacks had every right to be suspicious, but I was as pissed as they were that Jules had been hurt. She didn't deserve what had happened. Those men were members of Mel's pack, sent to warn me that their alpha was getting restless and irritated with me for not answering him. Mel was itching for a bitch in his face for going after innocents after he'd promised not to. And then the fact that he'd gone after Will's sister just add fuel to the flame. I was rather fond of her.

I looked up at Will. "Okay. I'll stay tonight."

"Thank you. Now let's get you fed. Mom's making pancakes."

My stomach rumbled at the mention of food. He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. Something was still very wrong. There was tension between us as we went down the stairs. The kitchen was full with Mr. and Mrs. Black, the twins, Jules, and Brayden. Piper was on the couch watching cartoons. When she saw me, her expression tightened but at least it wasn't a scowl. I gave her a small smile anyway. She went back to watching the television.

Will shook his head but led me to the table. I sat beside Brayden while Will went grab a couple of plates.

"Good morning, Hunter," Brayden said, surprising me.

I smiled at him. "Good morning. I take it you didn't get any sleep either?"

He shook his head. "Not really." From under the table, he brought Jules's hand to his lips.

Grinning, I leaned forward to look at Jules. Despite what she knew about me, she grinned back before looking up at her new boyfriend with complete adoration.

"Told you so," I said as Will set a plate in front of me.

Brayden looked between us, clearly expecting an explanation while Will asked, "You told her what?"

Nessie intervened while putting a plate of bacon on the table. "It's girl stuff, boys."

I blinked at her. "You know?"

Her smile was full of amusement. "Of course I do. I think we've all been thinking it."

Maddox blinked from where he sat across from me. "We have?"

Nessie swatted his shoulder. "Hush."

Jacob smiled behind his mug. "Anyway," he said, commanding our attention. "Despite what happened, I want you all at school tomorrow. Hunter, I'm not your father, but I still think you should go. You'll be safe there. I have a patrol around the school to help out with the newly phased."

I nodded. "I understand. And I agree. Will said that he'd feel better if I stayed tonight. I agreed so I'll go with them to school tomorrow."

He nodded, approval in his eyes. "Good. I wanted to thank you for taking care of Jules. You didn't have to do what you did."

I looked over at Jules and answered honestly. "Yes, I did. I learned to fight so I'd never be a victim. I know about the pack and I know Jules hasn't phased yet, so I decided to take the hits. She's better at driving in this area. It was only logical that she grab the car." I lowered my eyes, embarrassed by my emotion. "Besides, seeing that…brute…with his hands on her," I held back a growl by force of will. "It pissed me off." I met Jules's eyes. "You've been so nice to me when other people haven't been. That means something to someone who's been on their own for a while. If I have a choice, I won't let you get hurt."

With tears in her eyes, Jules stood up to come hug me. "Thank you."

Feeling more emotional than I was used to, I hugged her back as best I could.

After that, breakfast was smoother. Even Piper joined us, saying her own quiet thanks. Once we were done, I helped Nessie wash the dishes since I was a visitor eating their food. She'd tried to get me to go away, but I refused. Will and Jacob had laughed as they watched us bicker. Nessie rolled her eyes and shook her head when I kept on grabbing dishes out of her hands to scrub them.

When I was done with that, Will nodded to the front door. I followed him out, but when I went to stop on the porch, he gripped my arm at the elbow at pulled me toward his car.

"Will, what are you doing?" When he didn't answer, I tried to pull back, even used some of my werewolf strength, but he was too strong. "Stop it. What is going on with you?"

Turning around, he said, "We need to talk. And I think you know that. I was going to take you down to your house so we could have some privacy."

I suddenly deflated. "Oh." What the hell? Where was my attitude, my anger? I couldn't seem to get it up and at attention. And I knew why. It was my fault for what had happened yesterday and something told me that I'd answer his questions as honestly as I could. Quietly, I moved passed him and got into the car.

We met gazes through the window.

WillPOV

We rode in silence all the way to Hunter's house. The training with Dad yesterday had gone well. Even Brent had helped out. Uncle Walker had suggested it because apparently to be a successful enforcer, one also had to be a skilled liar. I'd been able to detect eight out of ten lies from him. Mom hadn't stood a chance. More training would have probably been more beneficial but we were running out of time. Not to mention the attack on Jules still had me furious. Hunter seemed just fine, but Jules had been in shock. I wasn't as worried over my little sister now that she and Bray were a couple. Not even a day and already it seemed like they'd been together for years. Which, they kind of had, just not officially.

When we pulled up to the house, I turned off the car.

Hunter's voice was soft in the claustrophobic silence. "Can I have a moment?"

"No out of my sight. No more spells."

I met her sharp look with a tense on of my own. It had been a guess but her reaction told me that I'd been right. Which, surprisingly, hurt.

We got out of my Jeep and went into her house. Once inside, she turned on a couple lamps before I followed her down the hallway to her room. Even after the month of dating, I'd never seen this room. Compared to the rest of the house, it was comfortable, lived-in. No wonder she and Jules got along. Both were comfort whores. The bed was king-sized and nothing but fluff. Candles had been set throughout the room on shelves, the nightstands, and a desk. Tall, short, fat, thin. Different colors, but there wasn't a mixture of scents. Just one. Vanilla. It was that scent of vanilla that made your mouth water, not that sickeningly sweet smell.

At her dresser, she looked over her shoulder. "So…I need to change."

I motioned with my hand. "Go for it."

Her blond eyebrow quirked. "My underwear, too?"

Shockingly, I didn't blush. I was too focused. Time to grow a pair anyway. Seeing a woman's body was nothing to be ashamed of. "Hunter, I'm a werewolf. The next alpha of the pack. Nudity doesn't bother me. As a wolf enthusiast, you should know that."

She blinked. "But I'm…we're…"

My turn to lift an eyebrow. "What? You think I'm going to throw you on the ground and ravage you if I happen to see a nipple? Or your bare ass? Just change."

Despite my words, my body hardened…painfully. Her eyes on my hips caught it, eyebrows going up.

"Fine." She said it as though she was still giving me one last chance to back out.

When I just crossed my arms over my chest, ignoring my reaction to the thought that I was about to see at least one part of her naked, she went to pulling things out of the drawers. After laying out all her clothes, including an incredibly sexy underwear set, she started stripping, her body in profile. Fingers at the clasp of her bra, she looked over at me questioningly. I just raised my eyebrows. Shrugging, she unhooked the clasp and shrugged out of it, the straps sliding down her arms, the cups falling away from her body.

My skin went all shrink-wrap on me, tightening hard and fast. The erection pulsing in my pants had me moving my hips to try to make room.

God, she was beautiful. The ambient light from the windows made her skin seem a shimmery golden milk as she moved. My mouth watered as her nipples visibly tightened in the cool air of the house. Her body was lithe and lean. Her breasts were a perfect handful, hips flaring out to give her waist an hourglass shape. Maybe this had been a bad idea. All I wanted to do was strip off my clothes and make good use of that bed…after skimming her panties down her legs. Which she was currently doing herself. When they were finally to her toes, she stepped one foot out and used the toes of her other send them flying in my direction. There was a laundry basket beside me, but the black lace landed at my boots.

A strange feeling fluttered inside me. The wolf talking to me. In my head, he nudged me, urging me to pick up the lace and shove it to my nose, drawing her scent into me until it was a part of me. We wanted her scent in our sinus cavity so we'd never forget it. That scent that was strictly her femininity.

Fighting the urge, I went back to watching her dress. And I knew she was deliberately torturing me. Slowly, she pulled the new panties up her smooth legs, wiggling her hips a little. Her breasts swayed with the movement.

Dammit! A low growl trickled out of me. It was reflex and I couldn't hold it back. I wanted my hands on her.

Looking over at me, she grabbed her bra and "put it on the hard way" as Jules would have said. We'd a conversation about bras before for some reason I couldn't care to remember. Just to torture me some more, Hunter bent over to stuff her breasts into the cups, adjusting herself. Goddammit. It should be my hands. And they should be ripping all that fabric off of her.

I snarled, hating the impulse. "Would you hurry up? I'm not asking for a reverse strip-tease. Put on your fucking clothes."

Even from here, I could hear how hard she swallowed. Losing the look of teasing and lust, she quickly adjusted everything and slipped into jeans and t-shirt. Keeping her distance, she brushed past me toward the kitchen.

"Do you want anything?"

I shook my head though she didn't see it. "No. But feel free. Answering my questions is bound to make you thirsty."

"Asking them should do the same," she shot back, her words clipped and angry.

Having had enough, I lunged forward and gripped her arm, spinning her around. Gripping her other arm, I brought us face to face. "You're not human, are you? And remember, I can scent a lie, Hunter. If that's even your name."

Gritting her teeth, her nostrils flared. "That's the name I was given."

Truth.

"Human?"

If those teeth ground any tighter, they'd turn to dust. It took her a long time to answer, swallowing a few times. She never broke our gazes. "No."

Truth again.

Hunter POV

With disgust, Will shoved me away from him so hard that I stumbled. He stalked past me into the living room, running his hands angrily through his hair. MY anger quickly ebbed away.

There was no telling how this was going to go. I had no idea what he was going to ask or how I would answer. I was so very tired of lying to him, of hurting him. If something even more grievous had happened to Jules, it would have killed him and been my fault.

I started for the kitchen but never made it. Faster than I thought he was, he blocked me, towering over me menacingly. I'd never seen him this pissed, and even though I knew how to fight, his aggression terrified me. In this moment, I could honestly say that I was as frightened of him as I was of Melice at his worst.

Slowly, he backed us up until my back hit the wall. "What are you?" he hissed.

My heart was racing somewhere in the vicinity of my throat. Swallowing hard, I whispered, "I think you know."

At the sound of my full accent, his jaw clenched, eyes going wide with anger. His nostrils flared like a bull's. "Say it," he demanded in a hoarse voice. When I didn't immediately answer, his slammed his palm into the wall beside my head and yelled, "Say it!"

It surprised even me when I flinched. In the face of his rage, I was just a scared girl, not a trained enforcer. Even if I could, there was no way I'd be able to go against him, not after everything.

"W-werewolf. Child of the Moon."

He actually sneered. "So much for your studies of wolves. Let me guess, you weren't adopted and never inherited this house. Tell me something, how did you fudge the paperwork? Huh? Our IT guy looked into it and said it was legit."

My brain struggled to come up with something. Right now, I had two problems. Mel was after me, sending his goons to find me for ignoring him. This put anyone I was in contact with in danger. The second problem was my revenge. If I could get what I'd come here for soon, as in a few days, then I could leave, leading Mel away from here. In the end, I'd be leaving Will and the happiness he represented. Although, after this argument, even that was up for grabs. But the point was, Mel would follow me. I had a feeling Will wouldn't, not after this. So he'd be safe.

I took too long to answer. Will's hand gripped my chin, moving my face to the side to make room for his in my personal space. "Answer it. All of it. Now."

Swallowing hard, barely breathing, I did as he said. "No, I wasn't adopted by the Jamisons. I didn't inherit the house. And I also know a good IT guy."

"Why?"

There were a million meanings behind that question, but I knew the one he meant, because after only a month, I actually understood him. "I knew I'd be running, so I asked him to make some shit up to give me a legitimate reason to be here."

Those darker than usual eyes narrowed. "Running from what?"

This was the tricky part. When I first came out here, I wasn't running from anything, so I had to concentrate on answering with my new plan. And running from Mel was definitely a part of it.

Unable to meet his eyes, I said, "The pack that took me in when my parents died. I was young. But they raised me to fight. That's how I knew what to do."

He was still angry but he was visibly physically calming himself now that we were actually talking. "And that's the real reason you knew about us." I nodded, and he continued, "But why run from them? And how have you been hiding your scent?"

More than anything I wanted to touch him, aching for that comfort that wolves so often sought out in times of stress. But I didn't, keeping my hands flat against the wall. "They don't care for innocents and humans mean little to them. Though I grew up with them, I just can't see things the way they do. So I trained up and used that knowledge to escape. I didn't think they'd find me, Will. I thought I'd hidden well enough, hiding my scent with a spell. I'm so sorry. If you don't believe anything else, believe that I'd rather die than let Jules get hurt. That's why I fought them."

Pushing away from the wall, he kept his eyes on me before turning back to the living room. "Why didn't you tell me, Hunter? I could keep you safe. Why keep this from me?"

"I-I…" I reached for something, anything that I could pass for truth. "I didn't want you to hate me."

Apparently it was true because he spun around to stare at me. "Hate you? Why on earth would I hate you?"

"Because I didn't want you to think that I'd just come here to use you. A lone female wolf is rare because we're weaker than the males. It works just the same as the dynamic of human males and females."

"And that's what the spell was for, to keep us from knowing. You're hiding."

I nodded. "I thought it would be safer to hide as human."

"And what about the full moon?"

"I was born a lycanthrope, and I'm an alpha. I can control it. For a while."

Calmer than he'd been moments ago, he came back to me and gently touched my face. "Hunter, don't ever lie to me again. It doesn't matter to me what you are, alright? I'd have still chosen you. There are several Children living here. You've met some of them. Hell, Brayden is a hybrid. We have a community, a pack here that is nothing but Children. My uncle, Walker, is the pack leader. If you needed a safe place, you've had one. All you had to do was tell me."

At his soft touch, which seemed to be forgiving, and his words, I teared up again. God, I was such a girl. And this male made me that way. It was a weakness but also a strength. All my life, I'd been neutral. Now, caring for him, I knew I'd do anything to keep him and his family safe. They'd been more of a family to me in one month than Mel's pack had been my all whole life. I marveled at Will's forgiveness.

In a breathy voice, I asked, "Can I ask you something?"

After a moment, he nodded.

"What's imprinting?"

Immediately, his eyes darkened again. They'd been getting back to the normal toffee color. And his nostrils flared. Damn.

"So you heard that, huh?"

Sheepishly, I nodded. "Is it how you mate?"

He took a deep breath, held it, and then blew it out in a rush, turning from me again. "It's how we find our mates."

In my head, I went over the conversations I'd had with both him and Jules. An instant attraction that was solid and forever. My breathing hitched again. "Am I…did you…?"

His jaw clenched as he looked away. And that was my answer.

I was his soul mate.

My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. "Oh my god, Will, I…I-,"

"Don't have to say anything. It's not something I could help. But you have a choice. If you have to leave because you don't feel safe, I'll understand." He swallowed hard. "I won't like knowing you're out there, possibly with someone else, but that's your choice. I'd respect that." And then he looked over at me, eyes narrowed just a little. "Unless…" he shook his head. "No."

But I knew what he was going to say. Unless he was my true mate. Over the past month, it was a question I'd been debating myself. Was he my true mate? It would make sense. I always felt safe with him. Even with his temper, I'd known he wasn't going to hurt me. And he made me feel like I was a female, beautiful and soft. Mel had never made me feel that way. I'd always been tense and wary around him, always on guard.

The answer came to me slowly. I was his soul mate and yet he was ready to let me go if I felt it was necessary. Of course he couldn't leave his pack, his family. In a way, I felt like I should be insulted because I didn't mean enough to him for him to come with me. But that wasn't what he was trying to say. He was letting me go. So the question I had to ask myself was, would I be able to let him go? And I already answered that by knowing after I took my revenge, I'd have to leave to draw Mel away from here and the pack.

With my epiphany, my eyes widened as I looked up at him. Will was mine. He was the male that, as a little girl, I'd always dreamed would rescue me. I'd found him, and he was willing to let me go to keep me safe.

An anger as I'd never known rushed up inside me.

How could this happen? I'd had a plan. To use him! How had it become more? When had it become more? He was my true mate and I had been brought here by fate with the motivation to kill someone he was close to. Was this the epic choice destiny wanted me to make? Avenging my dead family or letting it go to settle down with William Black?

When I could focus again, I saw Will staring at me with caution. "Hunter?"

I realized that a low growl was seeping from between my teeth. But I didn't stop. Instead, I bared my teeth. "I hate you," I said in a low voice. "I hate this place. I hate this whole thing!" And without rational thought, I launched myself at him.

"Jesus! Hunter, what the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled as he dodged me.

But my claws were out and caught his shirt. His tanned skin glowed from the white fabric. Suddenly, I wanted all of his skin to be bare to my eyes. This time when I went after him, he met me head on, gripping my arms above my elbows. With my hands still mobile, I ripped at his shirt until his chest and stomach were bare. The heat inside me rose higher. Slices in his skin filled and dripped blood down his abs. Staring at them, I had the incredible urge to rub my naked skin over his. So, I started tearing at my own clothes.

"Hunter, stop. Hunter! What are you doing?"

As what was left of my clothes fluttered to the floor or around my torso, I moved into Will's body, my breasts hitting the wall of his chest. The feeling was heaven against my hot, itchy skin. And as the buzzing in my body started to cool off, my brain started working again.

Shit!

It was common knowledge that wolves and dogs went into heat; it was their fertile time. With my kind of wolf, it was the same way. At the height of our ovulation, we called it being in heat because all we wanted was to be with our mates, either touching or fucking. For a long time, the enthusiasm of my heat cycles had been dormant. But now that I was with the male I was meant to be with, it came roaring to the front. The strong emotion must have triggered it.

My body trembled against Will. And he was frozen in my arms. He'd never touched my breasts, at least not on purpose, and now, we were half naked and crushed together.

"Hunter?"

"I still hate you. But yes, you're mine." I pulled back, still angry. "So shut up and kiss me before I rip you apart."

My words heated his body. He got hard against my belly through his jeans. Again, his nostrils flared, no doubt scenting my sex in the air. His eyes stayed dark, but he didn't move. Growling, I reached down to grip his ass through his jeans, squeezing him with my claws. He growled in response.

And then lifted his hand up beside my face. He stared at his hand in disbelief, his own claws having come out. Reaching up, I laced my claw-tipped fingers with his. He swallowed hard and looked down, eyes on my breasts. Stepping back, I gave him the look of his life. With my free hand, I ripped at the button on my jeans until the two halves broke apart and I worked them down my legs.

Will's breathing became harsh, intermittent with growls. He released my hand so that he could grip my hips. By the way he gripped me, I could tell that he wanted to touch me. So I moved his hands for him, cupping my breasts with them. The breath choked in his lungs, but once his fingers started to move and I groaned at the touch, he didn't stop. While he was busy there, I reached for his jeans. I brought my claws back enough that I could actually undo his pants since he didn't have clothes here. He didn't fight me as I pushed them over his ass and down his muscled thighs. Kicking off his boots, he managed to get the jeans off his legs, leaving him in black boxers. I could see that he was already hard. Good. I was already wet.

I grabbed onto his lean hips when he lowered his dark head over my chest.

"I've always wanted to do this." He tenderly kissed the top of one breast. "With you. Only you."

Groaning, I cradled his head while he licked me, getting ever closer to the tightened peak. And then he was there and I cried out, his hot mouth closing over my nipple. He groaned as if tasting ecstasy. And then the gentleness was gone. Wrapping his arms around me completely, he bent me back and fed at me. Lips, tongue, and teeth sucking and biting, nipping. Taking me higher.

With a sudden motion, he cupped my ass and picked me up. My legs wrapped around his waist as he walked us toward the kitchen. His mouth moved to mine in total abandon as if he couldn't stop now that we'd started. I likewise fed at him. One of us was bleeding because the tang of copper hit my tongue, but it deterred neither of us.

Reaching behind me, I swept the table with my arms before he dropped me onto it. He stood at the edge, his hard length on level with my pelvis. With hungry eyes, he stared down at me, savoring my body. His big hands absently slid over my legs, rubbing my thighs.

There was a promise of raw, pounding sex in his eyes. An erotic aura surrounded him. In this moment, he looked like the alpha he was born to be, about to roughly take want he wanted.

His fingers were so close to where I needed him. I didn't want him to consider going slow. Not right now. I was pissed and I needed him to match my mood. I needed rough. I needed him to pound me until I screamed for him. There was no option for softness.

Growing restless, I grabbed one of those huge hands and cupped myself with it. We both groaned at the heat and wetness. Even through my panties.

Apparently, Will's instinct for a male having a female under him kicked in. His fingers slipped around the edge of the lace to delve into my opening. My head went back on a moan.

He leaned over me, one arm bracing him on the table. I gripped his wrists, fingers digging in as he explored me. The reason I wasn't rushing this was because I wanted to partially ease him into losing his virginity. But this couldn't take too long or I'd turn enraged again.

One of his long fingers entered me, making me arch off the table. I hadn't had sex in a long time, since I became promised to Mel. And though I pleasured myself, I was still tight. The excitement of having a male was a totally different dynamic.

"Hunter?" he grunted.

"I'm fine. God, I'm so fine. Give me more."

He pulled out and pushed back in with two fingers. "Like that?"

Swallowing hard, I nodded. "Faster. Harder. Please."

No hesitation. He just jumped in, giving me exactly what I needed. In a matter of moments, when he curled his fingers, I was arching, screaming, and digging my nails into his arms. As I came back down to earth, he was ripping my panties down my legs, a constant growl emanating from his chest. Breathing hard, I reached forward to start on his boxers. Neither of us cared about the consequences of this. Neither pregnancy nor the bonding. We just needed each other after all the revelations. Needed something to lose ourselves in enough to forget the baggage we just exposed. Growling, he ripped off his boxers the rest of the way and stood with his hips between my legs.

Before he gripped my thighs to bring my hips to the edge of the table, I caught a glimpse of him. God, that length was as perfectly made as the rest of him. Long and thick, it was already glistening at the head, ready to be put to good use. He was so wide that I knew I wouldn't be able to close my hand around him. My body clenched with anticipation.

Leaning over me again, he gripped himself and moved toward me. But then paused. "Hunter, maybe-,"

"No!" I yelled, sitting up. "Don't you dare stop!" Reaching between us, I gripped him hard.

He yelled out before moaning.

"I don't have a right to demand or even ask this of you, but please. I need you. Right now. And I don't want you to be soft and gentle. Take me like the alpha you are. I'll beg if I have to."

Breathing hard, he kissed me and whispered, "But you know I've never…"

"Follow your instincts. Please, Will. I can't stop after what you just did to me. I need more of you."

And that was the moment he let his wolf out. Impossibly, his eyes grew even darker, body tensed hard. He took my hand from his length, linked his arms under my knees, and entered me in one powerful thrust. We both shouted to the ceiling as he sank deep, fighting my tightness. He'd dusted his virginity in one strong push.

The best part? He didn't allow me time to adjust. Will let loose his fragile control and did as I'd asked. Those hips slammed into me over and over, the slap of skin on skin as loud as our harsh breaths.

"Fucking Christ," he bit out.

His cock filled every part of me, brushing every inch inside me. The sensation was exquisite as he pounded into me. This had never happened before, the sense of unity and completion as though we were puzzle pieces.

Above me, Will leaned forward, putting his weight on his arms. My legs bent almost to my chest as he leaned down. Now he had a boatload of leverage, and put it to good use, his hips like a piston against me. I gripped his wrists, trying to keep myself in place. Sweat poured over both of us, his eyes closed in concentration. Putting my hands to his face, I stroked my thumbs under his eyes. They snapped open to stare into mine.

His next thrust was deep and hard. But he didn't pull away. He stayed deep and rotated his hips, stirring his shaft inside me. The grinding took me higher because his lower belly rubbed over my sensitive clitoris. Shouting, I gripped his hips, keeping him there.

I knew he was about to come because his body started jerking wildly. I rushed to catch up with him, putting my fingers to the top of my sex. We both screamed at the same time, but I didn't feel him come until well after my climax started squeezing him. He bucked wildly over me, bruising my thighs. But I didn't care. He was magnificent in his release. His bulging muscles were cut into sharp relief by the kitchen lighting.

When it was done, he leaned over me breathing hard, hands still running over my thighs. Cradling his head, I held him against my chest.

Surprisingly, he recovered quickly, going back up on his arms. Still inside me, he put a hand behind my neck and lifted my upper body before grabbing under my thighs. I frowned when he straightened with me in his arms.

He chuckled, putting his lips against mine. "You're not the only one who needs more. Did you really think I'd get off once and be done?"

The raw lust in his eyes flushed my body, making me bite my lip on a moan.

When he started walking I could feel how hard and thick he still was inside me. Good God, he was ready and raring to go again. Instantly, my body was hot and ready for him again. In his arms, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and crushed our lips together. We fed at each other as he walked us somewhere out of the kitchen.

We ended in the hallway, my back slammed into the wall. After I was held in the air between the wall and his hips, his hands slid over my arms, pulling them over my head and intertwined his fingers with mine. His body slowly started moving inside of mine, slow and languorous.

"God, you're so hot," he whispered.

I chuckled with a throaty laugh. "Not so bad yourself."

"Not what I meant," he rasped against my neck. Those sinful lips sucked at my skin. "With my body temperature as high as it is, you're the only thing I've touched since I phased that's hot to me. Just being inside you makes me feel like I've been freezing since I met you."

God, he was so tender with me. I'd fall in love with him if he kept it up. Hell, if I was to be honest with myself, I was already half in love with him. But I couldn't think about that now. Both that I couldn't and shouldn't think about it. I couldn't because his hips were moving again, so deep inside me. And I shouldn't think about it because it couldn't change anything.

Lowering my face, I bit his lower lip. "Then take me. Warm yourself if you're so cold."

WillPOV

This was wrong. I knew it was. She'd confessed to having lied to me about everything, but I couldn't stop. My body needed the relief hers could give it. Already I'd released, and it had been the closest to heaven I'd ever been. If I hadn't believed before in a paradise, I did now.

As far as I was concerned, I'd made love to her for the first time the right way. Face to face. But now, the wolf in me wanted her even more submissive, especially knowing how dominant she was. In my head, the wolf growled when I left her body. But it was only for a moment, just long enough to put her on her feet and turn her around. She was tall enough that she could stand to do this. It was amazing that I just somehow knew how to have sex. Bending slightly at the knees, I gripped myself and led my shaft to her core. She obligingly tilted her hips out, giving me more access.

And as soon as I was inside her again, the gentleness left in a wave of euphoria at being inside my mate. Heat poured from her, warming my skin as if I'd been stuck in ice for a year.

My hips slapped her ass. And God, did she have an ass. I couldn't help but grip it hard with both hands as I pounded her into the wall. But not once did she complain. She took everything I gave her. Leaning on her shoulder, she reached back to dig her nails into my hips, urging me on with her grunts and moans.

I'd always heard sex was great for guys, but I had a feeling sex with an imprint took the damn cake. I couldn't imagine having this with anyone else. I knew that I wasn't small. It's just something every guy knew, if he was small or not. Having watched porn a couple times, I knew the difference. But Hunter hadn't even flinched when the boxers came off. If anything, seeing me had made her eyes hungrier, body more crazed for attention.

She grunted again, the same sound she'd made just before she'd come last time. One of her hands disappeared between her legs, and a moment later, I felt her stroke my length as I pulled out and pushed in. A hand job at the same time? My eyes rolled back into my head as my balls clenched tight.

Between one stroke and another, I lost it. Her hand had reached even further to grab the heavy, aching sac. My hands clamped onto her hips and kept myself shoved tightly into her as I came again. My orgasm brought hers. She clawed at the wall, her black claws leaving furrows in the plaster while she screamed.

As soon as she was done, her knees gave out. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her against me, her back to my chest even though my knees were as weak as hers. Managing to stay inside her, I walked us to her room and the bed. She fell to the bed with a contented sigh, cuddling into the blankets and the pillows.

I chuckled down at her when she looked up at me with satisfied eyes.

"What?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

I knew my grin was all male sex because that's how I wanted it. "I really hope you don't think we're done."

Her eyes widened as I crawled onto the bed, still achingly hard. She looked down to my cock jutting from my hips. No ifs, ands, or buts. I wanted her, and we weren't leaving this house until both of us were utterly sated.

But while I was spreading her body out again, another question I'd forgotten to ask came to mind. "Hunter?"

"Hmmm?" she hummed through a lust-hazed mind.

"Did you kill Chad?"

The warmth and the satisfied smile left her expression as her eyes popped open. "What?"

Though still stroking her soft skin, I ordered, "Answer it. Did you kill him?"

Sitting up, she laced her fingers through mine and met my eyes. "No, Will. I didn't kill him. Don't you remember what I told you? I left that pack because they hurt innocents. I wasn't going to be a part of that. Chad was an idiot but I didn't go after him. I only would have killed him if he'd threatened my life, which he didn't."

Taking in a deep breath, I sifted through the scent of her lust and release, and mine mixed with hers. The scent of truth was exquisite from her. And damn if I didn't want her again. Right now.

With our twined hands, I pushed her back down to the bed on her side. She frowned. "Will?"

"I believe you," I said. Letting her go I lifted her leg, hanging it over my shoulder while I knelt over the other leg.

Hunter gasped as she realized the position I wanted. If I figured it right, it would put me deep inside her. She was flexible, legs spread wide under me. She reached out to put her nails into my stomach before moving down to grip me hard. I hissed as she pulled the head of my cock toward her slick heat. My breathing sped up when I saw how wet she was, the skin glistening with her arousal. With her grip on me, she used the head to stroke herself.

Her head went back, eyes closed as she moaned.

Growling, I moved her hand and shoved inside her. This time I was in more control of my reaction. Though it felt damn good, I kept my eyes on her. When I was all the way in, buried to my balls inside her, I stayed there, rotating my hips, grinding into her. God, it was amazing finally being inside her tight heat. So hot. I couldn't get enough of how her body needed mine, or at least wanted it.

When she arched her hips, it told me that she needed me to move. So I did. Wrapping my hands around her thigh, I backed up and plunged back in. She contorted her body over the pillows to reach up and grip the headboard with one hand. Her other hand wrapped around my wrist.

While I took her, it was hard to believe that my virginity was gone. I felt like she and I had been doing this since forever, like we'd always been together. It felt so natural, so right.

Hunter thrashed on the sheets, her hands going to the mattress to shred the sheets, her claws ripping the fabric like water. It seemed like she needed more from me, so I sped up and hardened my pace. The noises spilling from her mouth became more frantic. Reaching between us, she put her fingers to her clit, rubbing furiously. Though it was hot as hell to know that this was what she was doing to herself before today, I wanted to be the one to pleasure her now. So I moved her hand to replace it with mine, copying her movements with my thumb.

She jackknifed off the bed, gasping. Showing her flexibility, she grabbed my biceps to hold herself up. Letting go of her leg, I gripped the back of her neck and raced us to our finish. The pressure was building again in my shaft and her body was squeezing down on me, gripping me hard.

"Oh, God," she whispered, almost as if she were in pain. She needed to come.

I increased the speed of my thumb on her clit, jolting her.

Hunter dug her claws into my arms and screamed to the ceiling. Her orgasm threw me over the edge to join her. I cursed as my body released into hers in a hot rush. The heat burned as she milked me hard. It was such a rush and went on so long that I knew this was it. This was our sating for the session.

Once my body released the lock on itself, I collapsed over her, falling to the side so I didn't crush her.

Her eyes were heavy-lidded as she stared up at me. She hugged a pillow to her chest. "Are you sure you were a virgin?"

My chuckle was full of male satisfaction when I noted she was still breathing hard, panting. "Very sure. But I think we took care of that."

Still breathing heavy, she reached out to clumsily put her hand to my face, stroking my hair at my temple. "You were wonderful."

Turning my head, I kissed her palm. "Just wonderful?" I teased. "Anyone higher on that list?"

She gave me a look. "Really? Do you really need to hear that you're the best bed partner I've ever had?"

I shrugged the best I could before rolling over onto my back, putting my hands behind my head. "Maybe. You're my imprint. And I take it I'm your true mate from the episode you had that led us here. It would just be nice to know that you don't want to go running to someone else."

Moving across the mattress, she draped herself over my chest. Propping her chin on her overlapped hands, she said, "I've had plenty of bed partners, Will, but you're the only lover I've ever had." The tip if her finger ran in circles over my nipple. "You're the best sex I've had. Probably because you are my true mate. At least, I think you are."

I raised an eyebrow. "Think?"

She shrugged, her hair cascading over my chest and stomach. "I don't know how I'm supposed to know. But it makes sense, doesn't it? Since I'm your imprint." Then she frowned. "I still don't quite understand that, by the way."

I brushed some of her hair out of her face. "What's there to explain? Jules already did most of it."

"So what she described to me sounded a lot like soul mates. And I had that thought earlier. Is that really what it is?"

After a hesitation, I decided what the hell? I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"You said I had a choice."

This wasn't really something I wanted to talk about right now. I was still pissed with her lies. But my body was at war with my logic. I was humming, completely sated and languid laying here next to her.

Her hand stroked down over my abs. "Will?"

Sighing, I just went ahead and let loose. "The imprint always has a choice to stay with his or her wolf or not."

"And the wolf doing the imprinting?"

Picking up her hand, I played with her fingers. "No matter what you do or where you go, I'll always know you're mine. I'll always want you and wait for you to come home."

She didn't meet my eyes when she asked, "Home?" It sounded like that word was foreign on her tongue.

My fingers under her chin lifted her eyes to mine. "Hunter, yes, you lied to me. Big time. But it's an understandable story. One that I can accept. And now that I know what we're dealing with, my dad and I can take care of the threat. You're safe here. Remember when I told you I'd give you everything and you asked 'even forgiveness?'"

She nodded.

"I meant that, Hunter. You're my female no matter what. I'll get over what all you told me today. It'll be slow because I hate when people lie to me, especially when I've done nothing but help them." My tone was bitter, but I couldn't help it. Taking a deep breath, I forced it down. "But I'm selfish enough to want to keep you here no matter the promises I have to make to do it. The pack will be furious. Piper will have a grand time saying 'I told you so.' However, they can get over it. If you want to stay. If not, I can get into my account to get you enough money to get you where you want to go and settle. Even if it is without me."

Her voice trembled. "You wouldn't come with me?" she whispered.

Growling, I swiped a hand over my face. "Hunter, my place is here. Dad wants to retire from being head honcho. And I would never leave Jules and the twins alone to lead. I've spent my whole life looking after them. I couldn't abandon them with that huge burden. Everyone looks to me right now until they phase. If they phase. And then, we'd rule together."

Pulling away from me, she moved around until she could wrap the sheet around herself and sat up. The graceful curve of her back was still bare, tempting me to caress her skin. Gritting my teeth, I clenched my hands into fists.

I yanked a corner of the sheet over my hips and sat up, too. "Hunter, don't think that I want you to leave. But I got used to the idea pretty damn fast when you told me you didn't want to stay past graduation. I didn't expect to imprint on you. All this time, I've tried to stay objective about you because I knew something was up. Surprisingly, I was right. And now that they found you, I can understand that you wouldn't feel safe here, like I can't protect you. Because clearly, I can't."

Her eyes were sharp as she snapped her head around to face me. "Will, I never said you couldn't. It's just…these men are extremely dangerous. The one who…who hurt…Jules…he trained me. As an enforcer. That's how I was raised in that pack. I know how dangerous they are." Her hand shook when she brought it to cup my cheek. "I didn't want to care for you. Not really. Or your family. But I do. Somehow, all of you got to me. And I couldn't bear the thought of that pack hurting you for my sins against them. That's why it's imperative that I go."

A frown pulled her brows low as she looked away. It was almost as though she hadn't intended to say that or that it be true.

I turned her face to mine again. "So that's it? You're just going to leave? After what we just did?"

Her smile was tiny. "Sex isn't everything."

Suddenly, I felt used. "No, but it sure as hell was a game changer for me. What? You just wanted some rough grind from your true mate to know how it felt? And now that you do, you want to run off with a happy memory?"

Lip trembling, she pulled away from me. "I don't really see that I have a choice, Will. And it's not like that. I didn't expect for today to go how it did."

Now that made me angry. "Bullshit." Shocked, she turned back to me with wide eyes. "We all have a choice, Hunter. You can stay here with me to fight them off or you can leave, leading them away from here. Which is your plan, right? How are you going to fight them off by yourself? If you stay, we can end this." Suddenly, my body heated up at the thought that she'd pleasure herself with the memories of what we did today. "And you could have me whenever you want. No having to remember what I felt like pounding into you."

Her whole body shuddered, thighs clenching under the sheet. Her voice was breathy. "Will, I can't let you get hurt because of me. Or your family." After she gained control of herself, she looked over at me with agony in her eyes. "Please, just let me go."

Shaking my head, I laughed bitterly and ran my hands through my hair. "You're not even planning on staying until after graduation, huh?"

"Will-,"

Having had enough, I got out of the bed and went for the bathroom. All I did in the shower was rinse off before drying off and going for my clothes. Hunter was still in the bed when I came out, her expression one that said she didn't know how today had happened. I shook my head, water flinging everywhere. Out in the kitchen, I jerked on my boxers and jeans.

Hunter appeared in the entry to the living room, the sheet wrapped around her body. She was clutching it to her chest. "Will, please-,"

"Please what?" I snapped, spinning around. "What am I supposed to do with everything that just happened? You've lied to me about everything, then you attack me and talk me into sex. Which, hell, was my fault, too. I wanted it with you. And now you're just planning on leaving me high and dry instead of staying with me, believing in me to take care of this."

"I can't!" she yelled back.

"Can't what?"

"Stay! I can't stay. I was never supposed to be here this long. And I damn sure wasn't supposed to fall in love with you!" The moment it left her lips, she clapped a hand over her mouth.

All I could do was stare at her. This wasn't going to turn into a movie where her confession fixed everything. In fact, it made it worse.

My smile was more a snarl. "So, you fall in love with me and are still going to leave? Nice. Fan-fucking-tastic." Going for the door, I looked back with my hand on the knob. "Fine. Go. I'll have my grandfather hack into your bank account and put some money in it. But just know, we're still going to look for that other pack in our territory. Don't get in our way. I can't be everywhere to protect you just in case you decide to show up in the woods."

Trying damn hard not to look at the tears in her eyes, I slammed the door behind me and went for an extra shirt in my car. As I peeled out of her driveway, I dug my phone out of my pocket and dialed.

When the call was picked up, I said, "Bray, meet me at the cliffs. I need…I need to talk to you. Now."

HunterPOV

A good half hour after Will left, I was still standing in my quiet house in a white sheet.

In shock, I managed to make it back to the bedroom. But as soon as my eyes landed on the bed, all I wanted to do was cry. For a couple hours, everything had been perfect with us. Just two lustful teenagers, who fate had decided to pair up despite the differences in life choices, having mindless sex all over the house, lost in each other. Feeling him above me, moving inside me, had been the chance of a lifetime. I'd never felt anything that good in my life, and I doubt I ever would again.

Feeling a lump growing in my throat, I went for the shower. Before I stepped in, and after I stripped from the sheet, I looked down. There on my thighs was the evidence of our passion. The tears were silent and few, but still existed. Will's seed was warm as it slid down my thighs.

Breath hitching, I turned on the water and waited for it to heat up. The whole time I waited, I watched the thick liquid mixed with my own orgasm on my skin.

In the shower, I cried the entire time I washed my skin. Once I was clean, I feared that I'd be too cold when I stepped out, so I huddled down under the hot spray, put my forehead on my knees and sobbed.

BraydenPOV

By the time I walked out of the trees, Will was standing at the edge of the cliff, his arms crossed over his chest. As the breeze moved over him to hit me in the face, there was something off with his scent. On the phone, he'd sounded like he was about to crack, that something was very wrong. I'd left Jules with Piper before rushing out here.

"Will?"

He didn't turn.

So I moved up beside him. "Where's Hunter?" She was supposed to be staying with the Blacks again tonight. It was strange that he'd leave her unprotected.

He opened his mouth to say something but had to clear his throat before actually speaking. "Her house."

"What is that smell?" I asked as it got stronger. It was a scent that seemed very…personal. And then he uncrossed his arms to put his hands in his pockets. I grabbed his arm. "What the hell happened to you?"

There were cuts and punctures all over his wrists and arms. Blood smeared his skin where some of the cuts had reopened. I looked from the arm to his face. He stared down at the wounds, eyes vacant at first. And then emotion seeped in. Pain, a deep agony, and anger darkened his usually light brown eyes.

I shook the arm I was holding. "Will, what happened?"

He swallowed hard a few times. "I…Bray, I…I messed up. So bad."

I'd never seen my best friend look so lost and in pain. It was scaring me. Will had always been so strong. Only one thing could cause this reaction in such a strong man. A woman. And because he was imprinted, the feeling would be magnified.

I turned him toward me. "Something happened with Hunter, right?"

"We…Bray, I slept with her," he whispered

My eyes bugged out of my head. "You what?"

"You heard me. I fucked her."

I groped for something to say. Will didn't usually talk that way.

But he beat me to more words by saying, "After she admitted to lying to me about everything."

Confusion made me frown. Hanging my arm around his shoulders, I moved toward the giant logs around the remnants of a bonfire. "Let's sit down and you walk me through what happened."

Over the next hour, he talked and talked about his interrogating her. She wasn't human. She was on the run. And those that she was running from had been the ones who hurt Jules. And after having sex with Will, she was going to leave.

It was an urge to go down there and yell at her for everything. But I couldn't. It wasn't my place to interfere in their relationship. Jules had told me earlier that she'd forgiven Hunter without even knowing how she'd known those guys.

"Dad needs to know," Will said hollowly. "The whole pack does. We need to find them. I know she's going to leave, but I want her safe when she does."

"What makes you think she'll leave if we get rid of them?"

He shook his head and leaned his elbows on his knees. "You didn't see her eyes, Brayden. No matter what we do, she's going to leave. And I'm going to let her."

I didn't even want to touch on that. I sighed. "Okay, look. Your parents aren't home. Jules is at my place. And the twins went to hang out with kids from school. Why don't you go home, take a proper shower because you smell like sex, and get some sleep? If you want, I'll talk to our dads, let them know."

Immediately, he shook his head. "No. It should be me."

I sat up straight and growled. "Listen to me, it's not always your responsibility to relay information. I remember everything you said to me. I'll leave out the sex." He was still shaking his head. "Will, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. You're going to sleep, and I'm going to take care of my brother. You're too close to this and still emotional. For once, let me handle it. I am, after all, your second in command."

The look in his eyes when he looked over at me was terrifying. He looked dead on the inside. It wasn't having had the sex that bothered him. It was that she was still going to take off after having the experience. Without even knowing what it was like, I knew that making love to Jules was going to be a life-changing experience for me, unlike anything I've ever known. I wanted it, badly, but knew I had to take my time with her. There were four men in that household who would kill me if I rushed things.

I rubbed the back of his neck. "Let me help you. It's why you called me."

After a moment, he nodded.

I clapped his shoulder and smiled sympathetically. "Good man. Now let's get you home."

I took his keys from him. Once we got into the Jeep, I drove back to his house, made sure he got in the shower and fell into bed. He looked drained and like he didn't want to think anymore. Sleep would be good for him. Especially since we hadn't gotten any last night.

When his breathing evened out and deepened, I left a note for Uncle Jake to call me before waking Will and then locked up the house.

Twenty minutes later, I was knocking on Hunter's door. Sure, it wasn't my business but Will was like a brother to me. I'd thought of what Jules, Maddox, and Ash would do.

A couple minutes later, the door opened. I glared hard at her before realizing she looked as bad as Will. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Having a sister and a girlfriend who've cried in front of me, I knew what it looked like. She looked as shell-shocked as he did, too. Her wet hair dripped onto her pink t-shirt as if she hadn't thought to dry it after getting out of the shower.

Hazel eyes blinked up at me blankly before she focused. Frowning, she asked, "Brayden?"

Clearing my throat, I wiped the glare from my face. Whatever was going on, she was hurting, too. And I just couldn't be angry at a woman who knew she was hurting someone she loved and it killed her. "Uh, yeah. I think you know why I'm here."

Worry and fear stared up at me. "Will? Is he okay?"

My smile was wry as I heard her full accent for the first time. Damn. "I don't know what your definition of 'okay' is, but according to mine, no, he's not okay. You, uh, you've hurt him. Pretty bad."

Her eyes filled with tears and she visibly fought not to cry. "I know I shouldn't have lied to him. I just-,"

"It's not the lies, Hunter. Can I come in?" I asked glancing around. I didn't want to be caught unaware outside.

She blinked and nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry."

I moved past her into the house. There was a shredded white shirt on the floor. Probably Will's. There were papers, placemats, napkins and other things scattered on the floor as though they'd been thrown off the kitchen table. Will hadn't given me details of his extracurricular activities but I bet some of it had happened on the kitchen table.

Hands on my hips, I turned back to her. She was leaning back on the door, hands stroking a piece of her hair while she stared unfocused at the floor.

"Hunter?"

"Hmmm?" was her only answer.

"It wasn't the lies." I waited until she looked up at me. "Can you really leave him? Especially after," I lifted my hand to tick off the list, "the sex, knowing he's your true mate, and admitting you love him?"

A couple tears slipped down her cheeks. "I have to protect him."

I ran my hand through my hair. "That's what he said you kept saying. Listen to me, after all of that and him loving you just as much if not more, is not protecting him. It will kill him, Hunter."

A choking noise came out of her. "But he said I have a choice."

"That's true. You do. The choice is for those imprints who don't love the wolf, which hasn't ever happened in the history of the pack. But you love him. Why would you do that to him? I couldn't do that to Jules. Ever. Leaving, knowing that it would hurt her."

She glared at me through the tears. "Are you trying to make me stay?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm asking you to think about this. About your choice. It doesn't make sense. We can protect you. Now that we know what we're dealing with, they won't touch you again. If you run and they chase you, you'll be on your own. How is that better? Or protecting Will? If that happens, Will is going to do nothing but worry. Lose his mind. A distracted leader can be a very bad thing. And if you die and the news gets to him? He's going to go ape-shit."

We just stared at each other.

Then she moved away from the door and opened it. "Get out," she said, voice low and cold.

"Hunter-,"

"You don't get it. I can't stay. And I won't be talked out of leaving."

Clenching my jaw, I went to the door, but looked at her before walking out. "You're right; I don't understand. But if you leave, you'll be condemning a good man to a life of pain and loneliness."

Behind me, she shut the door firmly and locked it.

Staring up at the late afternoon light, I felt guilty about wanting to go home and wrap Jules in my arms. Grateful wasn't even close to explaining how I felt about having her in my life so easily. There weren't lies between us. We grew up together. I knew her and she knew me.

Phasing, I did run home. As soon I was in the front door, I went to where Jules was sitting on one of the bar stools. She turned to me with wide, aqua eyes.

Piper frowned standing at the sink. "Bray? What's wrong?"

I shook my head and looked at Jules. "I don't want to talk about it right now. I just…can I hold you?"

Piper's eyebrows shot to her hairline while she dried a glass with a towel.

My mate's small hands came up to cup my face. Her knees opened and I moved my hips into the space. "Of course. Is everything okay?"

Again, I shook my head as I wrapped my arms around her waist and put my face in her long hair. Her hands rubbed my back as she held me.

"I love you," I whispered against her neck. "So much."

"I love you, too."

And that was the beauty of us. Everything was so easy now that we were together. We could say we loved each other without fear of rejection because we both knew we were meant to be together.

That's what I couldn't understand about Hunter. There had to be something else to her leaving. And it took my suspicions much higher.

HunterPOV

After Brayden left, I got dressed and threw my hair into a ponytail before speeding down the driveway. Anger had me speeding all the way to the barn Melice was hiding in. Honestly, I was surprised the patrols hadn't found them. But then again, the spell was working. They had no reason to go near the dilapidated building.

Like last time, I pulled up to the doors. Instantly, enforcers came at me. Enraged, I glared at them. "Do not fucking touch me! Melice!" I yelled as I marched into the barn. My claws were out and no doubt my eyes were deep amber. "Get your ass out here! Now!"

Melice walked out of his sex stall, zipping up his leather pants. "Oh, you grace us with your presence. How ever did we manage that?"

Not even slowing down, I stepped up to him and slapped him across the face, leaving thin scratches across his cheek. Before he could react, I backed up into a defensive position. A low growl came out of him as he turned back to look at me. His fingers came away with blood when he touched the scratches.

"You dare put your hand to me?" he demanded.

"You had your enforcers attack an innocent girl! That is not what we agreed on! You told me no more hurting innocents!"

Swiping his cheek with the back of his hand, he glared at me. "That was before you dropped off the grid."

"Dropped off the grid? You know where the fuck I've been! And then you stupidly go after the pack leader's daughter? Will's sister?"

His expression turned into one of sudden intuition. "Ah," he said. "The male. His sister." He stepped closer to me, eyes flashing. "Is that what you've been doing?" he asked, voice dangerous. He moved around me in a circle, whispering as he moved. "Opening your legs for him? Taking his cock into that tight little body? Has he turned you into a whore?"

Hackles twitching, I growled low, flexing my clawed fingers. "Shut your mouth."

In surprise, he leaned back, a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Defensive, are we? So you have fucked him." He kept circling me, fingers rubbing his mouth as he thought about something. "Hmm, maybe it's time to pay this male a visit." Panic hit me hard. "Maybe I should rip his throat out for touching you. Although, you did let him." Now he leaned into me. "How should I punish you?"

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. Being trained as an enforcer, I'd also been trained to lie. "I never said I slept with him, Mel. I'm not a whore. What I'm upset about is that you had your men come after me, and they attacked her. You've put yourself at risk. Questions have been asked. I'm under so much suspicion that I feel like I should be chained in an interrogation room, for chrissakes."

His eyes narrowed. "And what did you tell them when they asked these questions?"

"I lied. What, you think I actually told them about you?"

One thick shoulder lifted in a shrug. "No telling. You seem different, Hunter. Softer. More like a lady." He sneered. "I hate ladies. They're soft and useless."

I snapped my growing fangs at him. "I didn't say anything. Look, I'll do what I came here for in a couple of days. And then we can leave. Be rid of this damned place."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh? And what does your male think of this?"

"I've told him I'm leaving. He's not happy because he thinks we're in love." The lie was bitter in the back of my throat, but I forced it into truth. Will truly did think they were in love, so it worked. "But he's going to let me go. Even add some cash to my account."

"And he won't search for you?"

I shook my head, forcing the emotions into neutral. "No. I've pushed him away."

His eyes scrutinized my expression when he asked, "And you didn't sleep with him?"

I shook my head, and lied. "No." Technically, we hadn't slept together, except those two nights in his tent, but I covered it well enough that Melice believed me.

When he moved as if to hold me, lowering his head to kiss me, I pulled back. "I'm not in the mood, Mel. I'm still pissed. Stay out of Forks and the rez. I'll call you when the deed is done and I'm set to leave. Until then, amuse yourself here."

One dark eyebrow quirked up. "Are you ordering me?"

"It's for your own good. Those wolves are hunting for the men who hurt the girl. Stay low and quiet. I'll deal with it."

And with more bravery than I was actually feeling, I spun on my heel and left. Outside, in front of my car, I took a deep breath. Jerome, the lead enforcer and my mentor, sidled up to me. Standing beside me, he stuffed something into my hand. I frowned, but he shook his head when I looked up at him.

"You shouldn't goad him, Hunter," he said simply before walking off.

I didn't open the note until I was locked up inside my house. What was written was a warning. And it left my blood running cold.

---

So? How do we feel? I've missed you guys so much it's ridiculous! Please, please, please let me know what you think! Love you guys! xoxoxoxo